Vindication of Caste by Mahatma Gandhi Dr Ambedkar's Indictment—1 1 The reer wil teal she ft that De Ambar was 20 we pied ne May at the annual conference ofthe Jt- tur Tk Mandal of Labor. Butte conference self was canceled because Dr Ambedkar adress wat found by th Tecrption commie o he unacceptable. How fora reception Lia rgectng 2 president ofits choice Tecanse of his adres tht maybe objections otis open ree knew Dr Ambedka’ views on to question. The iste andthe Hind series, They knew also that he had jn anequivoca tems decided co give up Hi Tesathan dhe adres that De Ambedkar had prepared was tobesociety, Whatever Ibe he wes in itr, De Ameri othe man tallow hime wo be forpoten, 2 Dr Ambedkar was not going to be beaten by the reception ‘committee. He has answered ther rection of him by Publishing the adrou 3 his own expense, He has pried 28 annas, I would suggest a reduction to 2 annas or at et ‘nas? No refoumer ca ignore the adres The orthodox wil gin by reuling it. Tisisnoeeo ay tha te ares snot open co jection. It has be read oaly becuse it open to serous chjetion. Dr Ambedkar ra callengeto Hindus. Brought op a6 Hind, educated by 4 Hinds poterate* he as become to digs wi the soiled savas Hindus or the treatment that he and his peop have recived thei han tha he propose to eave not only them but the very reipon thats his and thee common Bette. He is waar to ‘that religion his disgust agai apart of ts pofeoes. Dat his not to be wondered at. Aral oe can only judge i caine hove tte mphioeecnsnierewtinrhet 2 pte or an ination by the conduct ofits representatives ‘What is more, Dr Arubedkr found hat the vast majority lof saraema Hinds tad not oly conducted chemselies Inbumanly sgintthove of thie Glow religions whee hey clases Untouchables bathe hed sed thei conduct fon the authority of thee senpeares, and when he began t0 batch then he had fund ape warrant for their belies in nsouchabiiy and allt implications. The author of the sess has quoted chaper sad verse in proof of his thee fold indcrment—inhaman conduct eel, che unabashed tiation fori onthe pat f the perpetors, andthe subequent discovery thi the jsifcation was warranted by heir eipeaes 'No Hinds whe prize his fit above Wf self can afford to tundertate the importance of this indictment. Dr Ambedkar isnot alone in his digas. He ie mow uncompromising exponen and one ofthe ables mong them. He is certainly the mot irreconcilable among them. Thank god, #0 the fone rank ofthe Ides he i singularly aloe, and as yet Buta sepresentve of» very sll minority. Bue what he says is voiced with moge or let wehercnce by many leaders belonging to the Deprened Clases. Only the later, for ineance Rio Babadar MC. Rah and Dewan Bukadur rot only do not threaten o give up Hinduism,bu find enough warmth nit o compensate fr the shamed enection to which the vast mast of Hanan ate expose ‘Burthe fc of many leader eminingin the Hinds di n0 warn or degang what De Ambedkar bast 2. The ssvarnas hove to correc heir elie and thei conct, Above All, che whe are by thes learning and infaence, among the mamas have fo give An ahorttive interpretation of the seipturs. The questions tht De Amber’ indictment sn tobe rejected a artboied Wht othe anewer of wich accep and expagated ‘sta, ering aod iterates? (These have be {examined by De Ambedhar ia abe 1 mune reserve forthe nex ae mp own answer to these quesons ands ocanene ofthe (teat some) manifest ws ine Ambedkar’ hes. Hann, 1 Jay 936 Dr Ambedkar's Indictment—2 The Vedas, Upanishads, snntis snd poranas, ineading the arayana and the Mahabharata, are che Hid scripts. [Nor ists 4 nite ls Every age over generation has seed wo the ste fllows, therefore, eat everyting peited even fp handwriten i not sxe. The srs, for vance, consin uch that cap never be accepted at the word of God. That many of the texts hat Dr Ambedkar [jute fom she sms eat be accepted as authentic. The terpenes popely so-called, can only be concerned wih eral erty and mst sppal fo any consclene, i. any opened. Noth heart whow eyes of understanding be accepted 2s tae word of God which cannot be tested by ogonson of be capable of being spiritually experienced. And ven when you have an expurated edition ofthe serge, you will ned iheirezerpretation. Whois the bes interpre lot kestned men surely. Learning tere ust be Bt eligi foes no ive by i Kelive inthe experienes ot sn ae fer in ther Hives and ayngs. When all the tet eared fommentators of the scripture are utterly Gngoten, the cumulated experience ofthe sages and saints will abide and sprain forages co come {Caste has nothing to do with eliion, I is use whose origin 1 do not know, and do not need to kuow forthe sxisiction of my spits hunge. Ba | do know that it harmful both to sprcual and maonal growth, Veena ac sams are instucons which have nothing to doth cases The ow of vatna teaches th we have cach one of ‘0 earn aur bendy flowing the ancestal alg fe defines ot our sights but our dace. K nscesrty has erence alin tat ae condscie tothe welfne of hamaaitysndte nm other teal flows ha therein calling to ow ad pone t00 high, All ate good, lawl nd abotely equa is tus The callings of « Brahtnin—spirtaleeacherand scavenger are equal, ad ther de performance aris eq nest before God, and atone time set 1 have erred ent reward before min. Both were tied to this velhood gad no more villeges he an ines of this esky persion of hea: 23 Living in Sepaont wit i population of x hundked, I do atts ge dguy beer he ening o ea semen dng Bb fo hee tops tcng sna, hie hey open i ean cny spre rie Apion of prix sry an fa var oe ster ei he oe oti he aw ino wat oui Ce cece fide cmon oe an oly Go han Bld tcguee of thine nf eas ay) Py ‘am aware that my interpretation of Hinduism will be opal an ee Dr Tt nes oa cy psi jon. It is an interpretation by which T have lived for neaiy half 2 century, and aecoing to which {ave esrb fy ayo lay MeIn my opision tke profound mitake hat Dr Arbodkar as made in his address st pick out the texts of douse ouchentcity and vale, and the ate of degraded iad who reno fispecimens ofthe fh they so woefilymiepreses, ged bythe santa applied by Dr Ambedkar very hao ving eh wil probly i. In his ale adres, the letned doctor has ove-prved hi ce, Can a eligi di was profeued by Chaitanya, Jaya, Tikaram Tiruvalva, Ramakrshrs Paramsbans, Rao Ram Mohan Roy, Mabanbs Devendraath Tegore, Vivekananda? land host of others who mig be cay mentioned, bes juterly devoid of mest at is made out in Dr Ambedkar hes A religion ka to be adged not by ts west specimens ut by the bet it might hae prdaced ort and th alone an fe wsed she saad opt 0 to ipove upon. Haran, 18 July 1936 ren 5 pl ot ae Sant Ram responds to Gandhi Varna Versus Caste aM ‘Shi Sat Ranji ofthe Je Pat Todak Manda Lahore wats me to publ the folowing: 32 1 hive read your remachs abou Dr Ambedkar andthe Jja-Pat Todak Mandl, Lahore. la ae connection T beg o bmi 3 fllows "We did not invite Dr Ambedkar to preside over our confnencebeesuse he belonged t the Depressed Clases foe we do not distinguish beeween + Touchable and an Untouchable Hind, On the contary our choice fll on im simply becase his diagnos ofthe Fal eae of the Find community ws he ame 36 ou; ye 00 was ‘fhe opinion thatthe caste ayer was the foot cause of the dirapion and dowafil of the Hinds. The subj of the doctor thes frie doctorteeingthe caste sys,"‘hus sued he aj tough Now he be af car contre wa 0 pad the Hinds san ‘ite, but the advice ofa non-Hinds in ocaland eeligous ste a i it on am The dove sft wast ech ind" which war de aswell a prin th ima othe concn Se our faction I pte al is canna lp prog a sides, which i af aT E50; the mos eared ees ‘on the subject and worth ranting nto every ee onste ry wetmacolar aa Moro I wa 0 eng 1 your soe dat one Philosophical difference becween caste and varna os Sub ob gate by peopl in gn bcs fr racic purposes Hd sci ae an ron and the ame thing forthe function of both of them i one andthe ame, to rei inser re marriages ad iner- Aining Your theory of arya impeatablein hie ae and thee is no hope of revi in the net tte But Hinds are ster fats, snd do noc want to dexauy i So ‘mA Sty the Pov ncaa of Perce, a nt ‘espe, mal yy Sat aan nar haga oe ae when you advocate your ideal of mayinaryvarsvyaata, they find josifiction for cnging eo caste Thus you ate doing eat dvervice toc reform by advocating your imaginary vlity of the divson of vans, fori eeates 2 hindrance in our way. Te ty 40 remone untouchabisy without striking atthe soot of varasyaestha i sigy fine onthe srfice of wate As inthe her of thir ets Aijas donot want ta give sell equa eo the so-called Touchale and Untouchable Sbudrs, 0 they ese to break easte—and give liberal dostions fr the removal of ‘umtouchabty sip to evade the ie To sek the help ‘ofthe sass forthe env of utouchabiiy and castes snaply to wash md with mu The lst parigraph ofthe leer surly cancels the ie. “Mandal reject the hep ofthe has, they do exactly what Dr Ambedlar does, ke. cee to be Hindus How then can ‘hey object to De Ambedkar alees merely beets he aid that at was his ase speech a4 Hinds? The postion appears te be wholly untenable, ipecially when the Mandal for which Siri Sane Rar claims to speak, applauds the whole sogument of Dr Ambedlar' adres ‘eit is petinent to ask what the Mandal ives nit rejects the shasta, How can a Maslin remain one ihe rejects the Quran, ofa Chisian sein Christian ite rejects the Bile? caste and vaca ate conver terms and iva i si inegral pat ofthe shastas which define Hinduism, do rot know bow a perion who reject ease ey arn, can call hinwelfa Hinds 36 ‘lui Sant Ram likens the shawras co mud. Dr Ambedkarbas not 40 far as T remember, given any such Pctuesque saeco thests hve cease when Thee tha i ann uppre the etn mou Teal ces 0 cal pes Hind, Say, be hse spp all mye or remain a Hind, sine T have ho nal, ‘o sugges to Shri Sane Ram eat ts che only rational and comect and morally deen posi ‘warrant in Hindu tradition. " Horan, 15 Ast 1936 AReply to the Mahatma BR. Ambedkar 1 appreciate greatly the honour dane me by the Mabatns in faking noice in his Harn fe speech on caste which Thad pure fore Jt-Pat Tok Mandal, Prom a perusal of his ew fy speech cs clas thst the Makara completely Sasa fom the views I ave expressed on the see of fase 1am notin he habit of entering ot coneorersy with ay opponents ules shere ar special reasons which compl een some mean ind obware ers I woul not have pursued him. But my Spponcn being the Masts him, [fc L must xem wee he ecto she contrary which he as soughe 0 put forth ‘While appreciate the nour has done me, must conf to aseuse of suprise on finding tat of al people che Mabstma thoald accuse me of desire to seck policy, as he seems to ‘do when he ogesthat n publishing the undeivred speech tay objet wast ee that Twat 0 “orgoen’. Whatever he Motta may choose to sj, my object in publishing the ‘peed was to prove the Hindus fo think, and to take stockofthe psin I hav ee kee pbty,a Fred tery who coul cues ton Seta ‘hve who eth Masa en gs 2 Motiv apart, what as the Mahatma to sy on the question ised by me in the speech? Fit of al, anyone who reds ‘ny speech will aie thatthe Mahatia has ented ted the ies rived by me, and tha the ses has eed ane ogre 2 erion of Rnd scery on be Neh eiatarvarns iene becane the varmavyvaths like running 3 the nove ot ce like + man area (0) thatthe reorganation of Hind socry on the ssf chaturvarnya woald be hazmfal, because the eft Hé the vamaryovasinn Would be eo degrade the masses by fenying them. opporanity to acqute knowledge and to nasculae them by denying them the righ o be are hat Hind society most be eeorganied on aligious bss hich wou recognise the principe of ibe, equality and ‘teat mat sons acto) orate frteniy (5) that oder t achieve this objec the en religious tanctity behind caste and vara mat be derayed (6) thatthe enetity of ae and vara en be destroyed aly by discarding the divine suhorty of the sass 23 Ie will be noticed thu the qvesons raised by dhe Maaco are abuoluely beside the point, and show thatthe main argument of he speech ws lot spon his, aa et me examine the subetance of the points made by the Maitma, The fst pont sade by the Mab is thse dhe ts cited by mere not authentic. 1 confess Tam no sutority ms this tater, But I soo keto wate thatthe rst ed me are all take from the wring of the late Me Tak.* na was 3 ecopnived story onthe Sanskrit language 2nd rhe Hind shasta. His second pit tha thee shaseas thou be iverpetd not by the laraed bur by the sins snd that a the sans ave understood them the shasteas do rot support ese ad untochabiity. ‘Asregaristhe fit ping, what woul toa the Mabaems ‘is, what docs ic eal to anyone ithe texts age nterpoisions,aif they have been difreny inserpcted by the sin? [Th aes donot make any diincton berween ext which are genie and texts which are interpolations, The muster J not know what dhe texts are, They too ere to now the contents of the sharia They have belived what they have been tld, and what they have Bee ithe the shasta do enoin 24 elias day the oeerance of caste ad nochabily, Wich regard to he sais, on must ado that howsoever iiremt snd elevating their teachings may have been 33 compared to thoue of the merely learned, they have been lnmentably ineffective, They have een inelctive for wo reasons. Fey, nose of the sins ever atacked the caste sytem, On the contary—they were staunch believer in che opm of cates. Mow of them lived and did 4 members of he castes to which he espoctively belonged. Sopusonatey cached wat Jayandeo his wats a «Brain dat won the Brahmins of Pitan would not admit him tot ld, he moved heaven and earth to get his eat 5 Brahmin recogised by the Brahmin fserity JAnd even the sine Eknath? who now fgurs in dhe fim Dharam a hero for having shen the cosrage to touch ‘the Uneochables and dine withthe, ids not bec he vis oppo to caste and untoachabiliy, but becouse he el cay yeni ace 20 Ga Shapes hat the pollton cue thereby cold be washed sway by ba in che acted waters ofthe river Ganges! The sans uve never, according 2 may say, cated on 2 campaign sgnnse cate and untouchabiiry, They were not concerned rth the srg tetven men. They were concerned with the elation between anand od They did not preach thst men were eq They preached chat all mea were egal n he eyes of pod-—a very diferent and a very innocwose ropositon, which nobody ca find difiesl 2 preach or angers to bine in 35 The cond eeaion why the teachings ofthe sins proved infective was becanye the maves have been tug that 3 sin might break caste, bur the common man mst wot. A ample ofellow, He aly ain therfore never became Zere ere preetyremained pious man ta be honeated, Tha the mases have remained staunch believers in cate ad unouchabity hows thatthe pow lives ad noble sermons ofthe aint have hang fect on thet lif a conduct, asagunst te teachings othe Astra Thus tan be x mate of no conoaton the there bere hi, o that there ia Mata who nesta de Pes ity one aa oe may? That the mass hold fren view ofthe shasta ct. hich shal ap mast be reckoned with, How that is tobe leak with, xcept by denouncing the authority of the hates hich coins to gover her cond, question which ¢ Mahatina has at considered, But whatever the pla the shar pos forch an efetve mans to fice the mass om the teachings ofthe shat, he mise accept tha the ous ieee by ane good Smart may he very eevting to il, bat a Ins, withthe atid the comin man hs ‘snes and to Mahstmas—to honour bat noo fllow— ‘ Te third point made by the Mahatma i thit 2 ssigion rofesed by Chaitinys, Jnyindeo, Tekaram, Tiwvallvae mkrihna Parumhans, et, cannot be devo of mer ab ie made out by ne, and that eligi htt be judged not by is worst specimens hut by de est st might have prodaced sere with every word of his statement. But [do not ite Cadetstand wi the Makatina wishes o prove thereby. That religion shuld be judged rot by Rs worst specimens but by Ie qustion sil remains, why the wort mimber so say rd the et er To my mind ehere are eo conceivable peers otis queton: (thatthe worst by reason of some gin] pervesy of thsts ate moray uneducable, and are herefre incapable of making the remotes approach to the ligioos Weal Or: (2) thatthe religios de sa wholly rong ies which has given wrong orl twist 0 the Bes f de many. and shat the bet have Boeome bes in site of fn wrong dealin fc, by gringo the wong twis a urn the righ direction, hematite why the wort are 10 many andthe best Jo few. I'he econ ithe only explanation, chen obvieutly fhe argument of the Mahatma that » region should be raged by i best followers cases us nowhere—ecept 10 Df thee to explanations fam aoe prepared to accep the fist, and Yam sare that even the Mahatma wall not ass pon the comeay. To my min the secon ithe ony logical ed reasoable explanation, le the Mastma ha a hid ity the lot ofthe many whe have gone wrong because they fave been mae to worship wrong seal 4 he argument of the Mahatma that Hinduism would be clei fol many were to follow the cxamgle of heins fllacioes for anosher reson. (la this connection, see the urinating article on “Morality and the Socal Stace’ by HAN, Brat in the Ajon sting dhe amet ofrich lstrous persons Chaitanya, ee, th for Apri 3936. By geet int broads and society can be mae tolerale and ea happy without any fundamental change in uct, all the high-este Hiadas can be praised to fallow « igh eandard of morc in thei deings withthe fow-eate Hindus. [1m toully apposed 9 thisknd of dclogy, ca sespect shove ofthe cate Hinds who try to ralie« igh sociale hee, Withous rch men, indla would van oer anda kx py pice oie i than its. Bue jonetheles, anyone who relies on an attempt to turn the rember of the cate Hindu nto beter nen by improving, heir pesonal character i my jodgement, wasting hit energy and hogging illsion, Can pecional character make ne maker of armaments a good man, i, 4 man who will A shells sat will not bare and gas that will not pion? If cannot, ow can you acept personal character 0 mike sean louded with the concionnes of ete a good man, ‘man who would eat hi fellow men 2 his fiends and a? To be tru © himself he ms deal with hie Flow iter asa superior or inferior, according athe et tay any re dlferently fom his wa case-llows, He can over be expected odes with is low men a is inenen ond equal Js a matter of fict, = Hindu does teat al those who are not of is caste at though they were alien, who could be cisciminated again with smpuniey, and. apnst wom any frau or tick may be paced without shame, Thi it to sy tht there can bea bener ora worse Hinde. But 2 good Hinds there canna be, Thi i x0 not Becse chee is eything weong with hit personal character. Hck, what is wrong isthe enie bass of bis relationship to his lows The best of men cannot be mol ifthe bass of elatonehip cnc them and thei fellows i fandamentaly 2 wrong rltonship. To alive, bit ater may be beter of wore But there cannot be a god master. A good man cannot be a ase, anda master cannot be od ma “The same appt to the relitonship between high ease and low ete. Fo slow-cate man, ahigh-care man can be bese or worse a compared to other high-cste men. A high-cste man cannot be 2 good man, insta as be muse have alow cast mato ctingush him a igh ante man. teeannot he good to a low-cate matt be conscious that tere hig-cate man above hin, have aged in my speck that 3 society based on varna or caste ie society which batedstrempr ro demo my argumenc. But istead of doing that, fe as merely reiterate is bli in icurraenya without i; wrong elasonsip. had hope thatthe Mubitns would Alsclosing the ground on which es based Does the Mahatma practise what he preiches? One does not like to make personal reftence in an aguinens which eencral in ts application, Bt when one preaches Goetine i holst asa dogma cere sa curiosity to know how ar he prattes what he preaches, Ie may be that his flare wo racist i due co the Sea Being 20 high o be seine; ‘may be tat bis flare to price od tothe innate poctsy of he man. Ia aay case he exposes his conduct to cxuminaon, and [ms not be blated If ak how fa bas ‘he Mahataastemeed to reais delin his own ee? The Mahatma it «Hania rider by bith, His ancestors had andoned tading in Four of miniterhip, which is ling ofthe Brsbmins, In his own li, before he became ‘Mahatms, when the occasion came for hit choote his aret he prefered Iw w scales. Ox abandoning La, he came Half unt and bal politician. Hie hus weer touched ding which is hisaneestal calling 63 is youngest son ake the one who i hf llwee bE his fither—was born a Vay, hit marred a Badin auglter, and hss chown to serve a newspaper magnate? The Malutm i not known to have condemned him 6 not flowing his ancestral calling Ie may be wrong and chaste to ge am ie by ix wort specimens. But ray the Mahstoa a specimen eno beet, andifhe even ils to ealiee the ideal den he Seal mus be a impose ea, gute oppoved tothe practi inatincts of mn. 6 radens of Cagle know chat he ofien spoke on asabject fore he oh sooght about wonder whether such bar ot en he cise with the Mata inregardothesject matter caste. Otherwine, certain uss which occar to me al no ave esaped him. When can alling be deemed ro ave some an ancestral cling, sto make ie binding fea man? Mist asa fllow hi anes ealling even if docs not uit hi capaci, even when thus ceased co be pofabic? Most saan ive by his ances calling even ihe ins ito be immoral If everyone mist pure his ancestal calling, chen it ras fllow that «man srt conse tbe Je pimp because hie grander wat «pimp, and 2 woman rt continue tbe a prostitute becaase her grandmother was, > prostitute, Is the Matatma prepared to accet the logical [onclson fit doctrine? To me his ideal of following one's [incest calling isnot only an impossible and impractical ideal tat ial morally an indefensible sea,The Mahatma ses grest virtue in 3 Brahmin remiaing Drak al isi, Leavingasie he fact hat there ate many Brahi rama Beabinsll he es, what can we wy aout those Bean who ae dang to thei ancestral calling of riethood? Do they do so fom any ith in the vitue of he principle of ancestral calling or do they doso from motives of filthy cre? The Mabitss does ot seem to coacern himsefwith ich queries. He sie that these ae "ea Beinn wh at living on aims fey ven co hem, and giving fealy wha they have of sisal treasures.” Thsishow ahereditary Brain pis appear to the Mabatma—a carer of ysl teats, Bue anther port of the hereditary Brahmi ean so be dawn. A Brabmin can be a pris to Vishnu-—the god of love, He canbe a presto Shankar the goof destruction, He can bea priest Buddha Gays worshipping Buddhy lhe owes teacher of mankind, who taught the noblest Aoctin ofove, He alo ean be sprit Kali the goes, ‘who must have daly srifice of an animal to sat et i mre ee warns, ray ee thins fr blood. He willbe «priest of he temple of Rams — the Kshtiya gol! He wl ao bea prt ofthe temple of Parnhuram, the god who took om an avatar t0 destroy the Khatri He can be restr Brahma, the crestor of he ‘wot He ean be a priest. pi whose god All wil not ‘the if ah ose ha prea om wre mr No on can say tha hear which movie oli 23 IE his 4 we pcre, ne docs at Kao wtf sy I ths cacy to beat lyr (0 go nd goes Shon wrbues ne so amagonit thi 99 one man Thn'he dence to all them, The Finds cy pon fh auworary phennsenon cede of the reste Ne the eigen, cabin 8 it of e anged that toleration, As agaist this ace view, i en rus toeraton and cathalcey may be ell nothing more Trotable than inaifrence o Maced latiudinaranim These two aitedes are hard 9 ditingebh in their outer seeming Bu they are 40 vitally alike in thecal quality See pg Hart a ee ens ae‘the other, 7 Tata an is ready to render homage (0 ms i to my gods and ouldses maybe cited a evidence of his tlerant pe. Bet ‘am itnot alo be evidence of insincerity boen of dee to serve the times? Iam sure tat this oration ie merly ie. I this wew ie well founded, one may a hae spiral easure can thee he within» peton whois ray to bea priest and a devote to any deity which eserves hie purpose to worsbip and to adore? Not only mut sch a enon be deemed to be bankrupt ofall sietal teantes bt fr im to practise so devating «prison as tht of Priest siply bec es ancstelwithout fit, without bee, merely af mechanical proces handed down form father to soaix nots conservation of virtue relly the prostitution of noble profes which no other tha the service of religion, Why does the Mahatma ding 2 the thecry of everyone following his or ber ancestral cling? He gives his exons owere, Bat chee must be some reason, hough he does not care to avow it. Yeart ago, writing on "Cs (Cs in his Yuna barged hat de caste tem ‘ie a3 wy ae ned ad pb or oar seas bite tha a chs apt o the ground that eae wk {he best posible adjntnent for social stably. tha be dhe feason ty the Malatma clings «9 the theory of everyone fellowing his or her ance cli, dea hes clinging 4 fe view of cial Mo 82 werybody wants ci stability, and some. austen Jnust be sade in the rlatouship between individuals and asin onder that ality may be had. But wo things, im re, body wants. One ding nobody wants isa stati cing tha is eltioessp someting thats ualtrble, 0 xed forall time, Stabilry wanted, bat not at he cost of Change when chage imperative, Thesecond ding nobody rant is eve adjstonet, Assent s waned, but wot 3 the sacrifice of rsa juice 83 ‘Can it be said chat che ajusimcut of social ratomips i. on te base of ech to his hereditary ia? Tam convncsd that t does the iss of ate talng--avis these wo ei thot Fer from being the best posible adjustment, have no ‘dubr that i sof the worst posible kind nase a t tifende agro hot the canon focal adjusment~namely, Asidiey and equity.9 tt bein ae, Win ur dat the oe ce erwin ae tha get by the name of Hind sep and therefore, in avatars and rebirth, He believed in cae a fended wath the vigor ofthe orthodox." entree cry Sx ne dning.inter-denking and ner pd argued chat seit abot inter-dninge03 gret en ‘on otk tor yn cot a aa humors gamers ae e- the cubivation of will-power ad the conservation a cetsin sil wree”™ Tei good that he has repudiate this anctionious nomense and admted that caste “e barefel both to spiral and 1h and maybe his ons mariage ome hit rational Gate bis had something 69 do with this change of i wed? What the watre fc wana foe which the Mabacm stands? Is che vedi Conception as commanly undertood a preached by Seas ‘Dayanand Sernwati an hit followers, che Arya Samaj? Thi esene ofthe Vedic concepion af arn the pass of 1 cling which s appropriate to one ara pine, The thtence ofthe Mabatms' concepton of varnas the pars of fone ancestral calig, eespectiv of natural pte. hat he difeence between caste and vara ert by the Mahati? I find none. As defined by the fahatma varua becomes merely a diferent mame for este, x esp eavon that tthe sme in ese it of one's ances calling, Far fom making progres, Makan hus sufeed etogresion. BY potting this ferpcttion upon the Vee conception of vara, he has ily made ideals what war sublime, While T eet the ede arnaryaanha fr renons given ice spec I mst Deka he Vedic chery of varaa as interpreted by Swath IDayunand and some others i 4 eens and an inoffensive ing te did not admit birth a 3 determining ator in xingenised worth sense ote Ji vr, bute makes an abominable thing. Vato ae cite ae 0 Very dilfrene concep. Varna i based on the pencil ofeach aconding is worth, while cate bed ‘on the principle ofeach according a his hice acl fom cheese Tn i, th iu ste wo. Ifthe Mahitina believes, s he docs, a between the everyone fllowing his or her ancestral calling, thea ma cerainly be is advocating the caste sem, and in cling it the varna sjstem he sot only guy of trminalogeal inewctzude, bot he i citing confsion worse confounded. sure that ll his confusion is deco the face eat ee Mahatma his ao definite and cleat conception atta what n. He has sid—and one hopes ha he will aoe od some myc reason to change is ce of Hinduism. Does be regand area a the xence of Hindisn? One cana as yt sveany epoca anewer Readers of his atcle on “De Asnbedkar’ Indctnen” will aswee "No" Inthatarirlee docs not sy tha dogs of arma isan essential part ofthe exeed of Hindi, Fa fn pking vam the erence of Hinduism, hey “the sence of Hindu i contained in ts enanciton of one and only od as trath and its Bld acceptance of shina athe awe of he oman funy Bac reades of his rice in reply to Me Sane Ram wily "Yes" I ha atic he sy “How can a Mili emai one if he eects the Quran, ora Carian remain Chistian if he rejects the Bible If ease and varna are converbi terms and if varna is a itera prt of the set which define Hindi, I do noe know how 2 person who ajets case ie, vara, can cllhinwelfs Hin.” Why this prevaricaton? why please? as the saint ile o sense the truth? Or dos th polican stand inthe way af he sane? The real raion why the Mabatina suring fom thie confision i probably to be raced to to sources. The fini the temperament of the Mabstna, He hit in kot seething the simplicity of the child, with the childs capacity for selE-deception. Like a hil, be can belive in ying he wate to belive fn, We ms dherefore wail uch time a ples the Mahatma to abandon his faith in ‘arm, st hs plaid in abandon hi fh cate ‘The second source of confusion isthe double role which 2h Maburms want to play—of « Mahatma aed poltcin [As 4 Mabarm, he may be tring to spiviualse polices, Whether e ae succeeded cor no, police have cereaily cominerilied him, A polician must Laow that sociery [onnot bear the whole euth, and that he mt not speak the whole rth; fee peaking the whole eat ts bad for his polis. The reson why the Mahacna savas oppor ase and vat is Beanie he i afraid tha she opposed nem he wold lose his place in plies, Whatever may be the source ofthis confusion the Mabatma mast be cld that he is deceiving himwel, an alu deceiving the people, by presshing este unde the name of vara,m1 The Mahatma sy that che standards Ihave applied to tet Hindus and Hindi are t0 severe, and that judged by those scandards every known living fick will eobably fl Te complaint cht my sandande ae bgh maybe eve Bt the question i nae whether they a high or whether they ae na wheter they a dhe sight sanded ow: The questi spy A people and thei religion mast be judged by social andanls based on socal ethics. No oter strand would have any meaning if religion is held 0 be 2 neceary good forthe wel-being of dhe peopl JNow, I maintain that the anda Fave applied co test Hindus and Hinduism ate the move appropriate standards, and thas | know of none that at beter, The conson that, every known eligion would il feed by my standards suay be re, But thisfice shold not give the Maat ase champion of Hindus and Hinduism a ground for comfort, ny more than the existence of one madinan should give ul give comfort wo anther erin 03 1 would ike to amaze che Matis that nor he fre ofthe Hindu and Hindus which has prodaced in me the feng of dg andcontempe with which [am charged rele thatthe world ery smpeiet wl an snyone Who wae nen em ea wth i peti ws Bt hile am prepared to eat with the imperfections and shortcomings of the seity im which [may be destined to Tabour, fe should noe consent t ive in socery which cherishes wrongieas orasocety which, having ight ideal rile content bring it socal feito conformity with (ose deal. IFT sm dagsted with Hindus snd Hinduism is because I am convinced tha they cherish wrong eae My guste wich Hindus and Hindwism i not over the impeefctions of their social Jeondact Is mach more fundamental i ove ther ideal ond live 2 wrong social nt Hindu society sms fo me to stand in need of 2 moral pone. Aad the regeneration which i it dangerous to po qerion % who can determine and contrat this mol -egenertion? Obvious oaly doe who have undergone a2 Smllectoal regeneration and the who ae honest enoagh to have the courage of thee convictions botn of intellect ‘emancipation. Judged by this standard, the Hindu leaders ‘who count ar, in my opinion, quite unt fo the Inne co say tha they have undergone the preliminary ineleewalegenersion. Ifthe hadundergone an inlet regceerton, they would nether dee thence im the simple way ofthe uneaught molkinude, noe would they ake sdvantage ofthe primicve ignorance af others af one tes thera ding Notwithstanding the crumbling sate of Hinds roiety these ads will neverthses unblasingly appeal eo ideal ofthe past wich have in every way cen to have any connection with the presenta which, however suitable they might have been inthe days oftheir origi, ave now become 3 warning rahe than guide They al have a mpc reapect opposed—te any examination of the foundations of theirsociety. The Hinds mates ate of coat needy heey nthe formation of ee bee. Bato ae the Hindu leaden And whacis is hat thee Hindu leaders become filled with a ie pasion heir beliefs when avone propons 0 ab hem oftheir compenonsip, The Mahatma is no exception. The Mahatins sppees not to live in thinking. He presto flow he sites Like conservative with his reverence for comtecrated notion, hei fad hat ihe once tts thinking, many ides ad sions to which he cings wil be doorsed. One mast sympathise wich him. For every act of dependent thinking ‘pts some portion of an apparently sable world in pei ua uri i equally trae tht dependence on sunt cannot ead ws know the th. The sins are after ll ony human beings, snd as Lord Blfour sad, “the buman mind ino mote 2 rut-finding appar then the snout of 3 pg" lesote t hh does think, co me he realy appears o be posing hi snealience to fnd reson for supporting thi archaic ol surycture ofthe Hinds. He sche mom indent apologi fie and therefore the worst enemy ofthe Hinds, 115 Unlike the Mahatma, dete are Hinds leaders who are not content mere to believe an fills, They dace to think, end actin acondance with theres of cher thinking. Bat ‘fanaa ae prod chy renee suforunatly hey ae either a Gsbonest an niferent lot when i comes tothe question of ving Hghr guidance to the masofthe people. Alintt every Brin at anagresed the role of ee. The nunber of Brahmins who sll shoes = fr the Brahmins given up ter ancetal calling of priesthood rene than tho who prac priesthood. Noe only have fer eng but they have ezerd ade which ae pried to then by the share. Yet how many Beans who break eae every day wil psach aginst cae and agsit the hase? For one hones Brahmin preaching against caste and sass becouse his practical instinct and moral conscience cannot sports covcton in them, cere are Bandzeds who beak ste and trample upon the sass every diy, but who ae he most fnaieupholder of the theory of caste and che city ofthe shasta, Why this dapliciy? Becase they el ifthe mae ae emancipated fiom the yoke of cae, cy would be a menice to the power and prestige of the Jeans aso els. The dthonenty of chi intellect clas, fo wos deny the mses the fits of tet hiking, 2 owt dugrcefil phenomenon 17 The Hindus, nthe wordsof Matthew Arnold, ar"wandering between wo worlds, one dead, the other powedes to be born” What ae they to do? The Mahstina to who theysppel for guidance docs aot believe in thinking, snd can re piven guidance which ca be sito std the te of experience. The intelectual clases to wher the omey look fr guidance ar ctherto dishonest roo indices ‘cate them the rgh drection. We at indeed witnete, to a grea ragey. In the fice of thie tragedy alone can do a to lament and sxy—aach are thy leaders, O Hindu! ANote on the Poona Pact